March 27, 2010
| Coach Compton |
COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Gamecocks (10-21, 0-12 SEC) got the tying run to the plate in the seventh, but they could not overcome Auburn (18-12, 4-6 SEC) as the Tigers captured game two of Saturday’s doubleheader, 5-3, in front of 452 fans at Beckham Field.
South Carolina saw its top two hitters in the lineup, freshman Hannah Milks and sophomore Lauren Lackey, both go 2-for-4, while juniors April Borchardt and Laura Mendes recorded doubles. Caitlin Stangl, Amber Harrison and Elizabeth Eisterhold all recorded two hits for the Tigers.
The Tigers posted three runs in the second with two outs. After Kelsey Cartwright started the inning with a walk, she moved to second and third on grounders. A walk put runners on first and third, and a throwing error let Cartwright score and put runners at second and third. Stangl followed with a hit to plate Aurora Salter, and another throwing error allowed Lauren Guzman to score from second.
Auburn added a run in the fifth when Harrison, who led off the frame with a double, scored on a third Gamecock throwing error.
The Gamecocks started the comeback attempt in the bottom of the fifth. A leadoff double by Borchardt gave Carolina life, and sophomore Kandyce Redondo singled her home with one down. Milks followed with a hit to chase Auburn starter Angel Bunner. Tiger reliever Anna Thompson got a strikeout to get to the brink of stranding the inherited runners, but Mendes smacked the sixth pitch of her at-bat to the wall in left center, allowing both Redondo and Milks to score. A walk put the go-ahead run on first, but Thompson got a foul pop to escape with the lead intact.
Eisterhold put the Auburn lead back to two when she deposited a 1-2 pitch over the wall in left center. The Gamecocks quelled a threat in the seventh before getting the tying run to the plate in the form of Mendes after Lackey singled to center with two outs. But Thompson got a grounder out of the final Carolina hitter to secure the win.
Bunner (7-5) went 4.1 innings, giving up the three earned runs on seven hits while striking out one in the victory. Thompson earned her fifth save with 2.2 innings of scoreless work, fanning four while allowing two hits and a walk. Junior Ashley Chastain (4-7) picked up the loss, allowing four unearned runs on five hits and three walks. She struck out three.
The Gamecocks and Tigers wrap up the series on Sunday, with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m. EDT at Beckham Field.
